The Graveyard Shift
by moonlightwriter1
Summary: Richard is a security guard at the Spencer Estate Mansion and is unfortunate enough to be working on the night that the virus finds its way into the mansion. Left to fight his friends and colleagues, Richard must escape the horrors that lie in wait...
1. Not So Friendly Encounters

Chapter One – Not So Friendly Encounters

The crumbling arches that opened out onto the grounds of the Spencer Mansion welcomed Richard again. He stood staring at the evening sky, stroking the stubble that coated his sharp chin. Richard was in his early thirties, but his face was more worn through years of cuts, scrapes and bruises. His figure was tall and muscular, with wide shoulders that cast an imposing shadow along the gravel path leading to the mansion. Richard worked as a security guard at the Spencer Mansion, responsible for ensuring that the side entrance was clear and that no-one could enter without permission or identification.

However, it seemed like he had spent more of his time walking through the grounds than actually doing his job. But, then again, it wasn't like Richard enjoyed being one of the few security guards on the sprawling estate. Recently, not much really happened, except the odd alarm that seemed to go off on the other side of the grounds. Richard was only supposed to stay near the mansion and was frequently told this. Several times he had tried to sneak off, just for a quick look, but it seemed that the dogs were always out. Normally, this wouldn't have been a problem, but they seemed to be acting strangely. They would bark uncontrollably and chase after guards that were finishing their shift by themselves. That was why Richard was supposed to have a partner, but Steve had been feeling ill recently. Not that he complained about this; Steve could become boring after a while.

As Richard stood pressed against the wall, thumbing a coin that was left in his pocket, he could here another of the alarms wailing through the air, screaming to the researchers that there was a problem. The guards weren't supposed to interact with the researchers, but even if they wanted to, the researchers would never stop to talk. They always thought that they were too important to stop, even for a second, muttering under their breaths that "no-one understood the work that was left to be done".

It was getting late now, the air was starting to cool and the warmth of the mansion seemed to be beckoning Richard closer. With a deep sigh, Richard moved away from the wall and opened the door from the courtyard onto the mansion. This section of the mansion was usually empty but at the end of the corridor he could see a figure lurching towards the art gallery. It seemed to be rocking backwards and forwards as if drunk, not that that was surprising. Nothing much happened at the mansion and so most of the guards and staff "took to the bottle" in order to pass the time.

Richard stepped out from the cold and focused further on the figure, and it looked surprisingly like Steve. Richard supposed that Steve had been released from the medical room with nothing more than a few tablets and that he had come looking for Richard on his shift.

"Steve, is that you?" asked Richard, his gruff voice cutting through the eerie silence.

The figure seemed to move slightly, but never actually turned around fully. Richard laughed gently,

"Shit, you must be feeling bad. Maybe you should take the rest of the evening off."

Again, the figure didn't stir, but Richard wasn't as stationary. He moved towards Steve and pulled on his shoulder. The figure turned around but Richard knew instantly that it wasn't Steve, or at least not the Steve that he had grown to know over the past few months. Steve's eyes were vacant and his jaw agape, like one of those silly zombies from knock off 50's horror films. Steve's uniform was ripped at the shoulder and a deep cut was clearly visible.

"You okay, Steve?"

Swaying forward slightly forward, the look in Steve's eyes changed from vacancy to murderous rage. Lunging forward, Steve's jaws seemed to unhinge as his teeth flew at Richard's neck. Instinctively, Richard jumped backwards, banging sharply against the wall as Steve brushed past him and hit the floor sharply.

Richard bent down, "What d'ya think you're playing at? Get up!"

Offering his hand forward, Richard looked at Steve lying on the floor. As fast as he had fallen though, Steve flew at Richard again but succeeded this time in subduing his target. Richard was left incapacitated against the wall as Steve's mouth lunged towards his neck. Richard reached out and grabbed his throat. With only a few inches separating Richard's neck from Steve's drooling jaws, he thrust his arm backwards and sent Steve hurtling at the wall.

Again Steve stood, his neck crooked from the impact but this didn't stop him. Richard reached for the handgun that was stored on his waist. He had heard the other guards joking about staff that acted strange or violent, but then they disappeared and weren't seen again. Before long they were replaced and soon forgotten.

As Richard watched Steve rush towards him, his finger was placed firmly on the trigger and he showed no hesitation on using it.

"Stop right now or I'll shoot. I will. Don't push me Steve."

After a final deep breath and a sharp lunge from Steve, Richard pulled the trigger, aimed squarely at Steve's shoulder. He didn't want to kill Steve, just stop him. The shot didn't stop him though. Richard fired again, this time to the leg. Steve fell to the ground, but only for a few seconds. With a final charge, teeth bared, Steve dived at Richard as the handgun fired a final shot. The bullet penetrated Steve's forehead and flew out the back of his skull in a flurry of blood and shattered bone.

Steve dropped to his knees and fell face down; contorted and still; his spasms subdued and then, nothing. Richard lowered the gun and fell to his knees. A silent tear rolled down his cheek as he replayed the event in his mind. He could try to convince himself that it was necessary, but he knew that, to be blunt, he had just killed his friend.

Standing, Richard moved towards the door at the end of the corridor, desperate to find anyone that could help. As he opened the door, the shock of the sight made him vomit violently against the wall. There, clustered in the corridor, were two guards and a dog keeper feeding on a young intern researcher. She was lying on her back, eyes open, as if watching these monsters ripping into her stomach and tearing out her insides.

As he stood and grabbed the door, poised to close it and run, one of the guards turned and stared into Richard's eyes. He could see they too were filled with the same murderous look as Steve had. Quickly, Richard closed the door and turned to run, only to be cornered by two dogs, their jaws dripping with blood. He had never closed the door to the courtyard and they must have entered when they heard the fight between Steve and himself. Raising his gun, Richard sighed. "Shit. I think we may have a problem."


	2. An Invitation to Deception

Chapter Two – An Invitation to Deception:

The canines stood focused on Richard's trembling hand as he raised the gun to align with the head of the larger of the two. With sweat rolling down his brow, Richard made the first move and pulled the trigger, sending a bullet hurtling through the air at the first canine. With an eruption of blood and flesh the bullet lodged into the dog's thigh, provoking a charge of fury as both canines flew at Richard. With another gunshot the first of the dogs fell to the floor, whimpering as its body rebounded from the violent impact. However, the remaining canine was far more persistent as its teeth bore deep into the sleeve of his jacket and just failed to pierce his skin by a few centimetres.

Raising his gun again, Richard's hand was shaking violently from the shock of the attack. As the dog readied itself for another shot, Richard pulled the trigger, only to be met by his worst fear. The chamber released but no bullet emerged. His gun was empty.

Richard could have sworn that a smirk spread across the face of the canine that was glaring hungrily up at him, but surely these animals could not think, never mind feel emotions.

Now he was trapped. Ahead of him, the remaining canine paced heavily and behind, a door that led to a sickening sight. Richard had to think fast. He knew that if he could get to the outside, the alarm was in reach and soon the whole area would be swarming with staff and people who could help. But how could he possibly escape?

The corridor was enclosed and the only way out was to evade the canine that blocked the exit. Maybe if he could reach half way, he could check to see if Steve had a gun. Yet even half way seemed like a mile away. If only he could entice the canine towards him and then slip past. He had to risk it.

Slowly, Richard raised his fingers to his lips and whistled a high pitched call that sliced through the cold air easily. Instinctively, the dog turned to face Richard; its eyes narrowed and its jaw agape, it began to run. Its back legs pushed from the floor with the force of an explosion as its head swayed from side to side. At the right time, Richard began to run too and for a second, time seemed to stop. The hind legs of the canine pushed against the floor, hurtling itself up towards Richard. Without hesitation, Richard swung his right leg forward in an attempt to uppercut the dog's neck. Successfully, Richard made contact and the dog flew against the ceiling and writhed in agony as it hit the floor. It seemed like Richard could escape.

The corridor was once again silent and the chill in the air gave Richard the shivers. He stepped over the crumpled heap of the canine and turned around the corner. After opening the door, Richard was once again in the courtyard and only a few feet from the nearest alarm station. As he jogged over and wrapped his wide hands around the lever, a figure appeared behind the Northern Gate. It was Alyssa, one of the head biochemical scientists that worked in the Research Facility.

"Alyssa, you have to help. There's these thing in the mansion and they've killed an intern. Quick, open the gate so that I can get through and call the main gate."

Alyssa turned to the gate's security system and flashed her identity card. This was one of the more sophisticated methods of ensuring that only the researchers were allowed into the classified areas. With a deep moan of protest, the gates swung open and allowed Richard entry.

"Thanks. Now quick, we need to get as far away as we can from the mansion. I'm not sure if those things are really dead. After all, I didn't really want to get close enough to take their heartbeats," he jested.

"What are these "things" that you keep going on about?" Alyssa looked neither impressed nor a believer.

"I'm not sure. I walked in and Steve was there. But it wasn't really Steve and he attacked me. Then these two dog-things jumped out and I really think that we should be moving on." Although gifted with physical strength, unfortunately Richard lacked a grasp of the English language and barely took the time to take a breath.

"Oh. Well in that case, I think that we should head back to the lab. I'm sure that we'll be safer there."

Richard nodded and followed as Alyssa led him through the courtyard's collection of sprawling shrubs and twisting plants. Before long, Richard was stood idly outside a large stone building as Alyssa flashed her identity card again. Her silence was beginning to unnerve Richard, as he wasn't actually clear on where they were going. The large metal door slid opened and led into an open chamber with nine separate exits and walkways, but Alyssa looked as if she was certain on where they were heading.

After five minutes, Richard and Alyssa were left at the end of a corridor with the only exit being to the right. Alyssa opened the door and moved her hand to signal that Richard should enter first. The room was tiny but seemed like it could fit the both of them. Cautiously, Richard stepped forward and turned to smile at Alyssa, but her face was stern. Quickly, she pushed the door shut and opened the viewing hatch.

"What's going on, Alyssa? Open the door."

"I can't risk it. You could be contaminated. It's my duty to ensure that there is no risk of contamination."

"What are you on about? Open this door now. Let me out!"

"I don't think so. You need a full biomedical scan, but seeming as most of the staff are already working, we don't have much time."

Alyssa pressed a button by the side of the door and the lights in the room changed from subtle white to blaring red. A siren blazed outside in the corridor as a smirk began to spread across Alyssa's face.

"Goodbye Mr. Clarke. I am sure that you will cause no more problems."

"Preparing disposal of Class A Security Breech. Please ensure that all doors are closed before confirming operation."

Alyssa pressed the button again and turned to walk away. Small compartments in the wall opened up as a green gas seeped into the cell. Richard could feel the air become dirty as he dropped to the floor.

"Alyssa, no! Open the door and let me out."

Richard guessed that he had five minutes before the oxygen content in the air reached critical levels. He banged against the door ferociously fearing that it was all in vein, yet as his eyes became too heavy to stay open, a figure emerged at the entrance to the door; a towering figure whose face was too blurred by Richard's eyesight. With a lost choke, Richard fell to the floor as the figure outside contemplated on whether he could afford to let the man in the cell out.


	3. Respect is Earned, Not Given

Chapter Three: Respect is Earned, Not Given

Richard's eyes eased open as the blaring surgical light shone down from above. He could feel the cold metal underneath him contrasting with the scorching heat from the light. Slowly, Richard raised his arm but found that he was too tired to fight against its weight. In the distance, the beeping of the heart monitor drifted through the air.

"Preparing biomedical scan. Pass me the scalpel and prep the infrared scanner."

The voice was sharp and commanding, as if it demanded respect as opposed to earning it. Richard recognised the voice faintly, but his mind was too scrambled to recollect who exactly it belonged to. The voice began to bark commands again but Richard's strength was slipping and soon his eyes were beginning to droop. In a vain attempt to remain conscious Richard writhed and struggled, but it appeared that his limbs were constrained by a firm leather belt. With a final struggle, Richard pushed his body away from the table, but it was useless. In a short time, Richard was falling back into a state of unconsciousness as the figures in the room descended upon his still body.

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Richard's fingers twitched gently as his eyes adjusted to his new surroundings. The room was small, but not as small as the cell in which Alyssa had left him for dead. Biohazard signs lined the walls, leading Richard to guess that they were still inside the lab complex. Just as Richard was beginning to gather his thoughts and suspicions on where he was, a metal door slid open on the other wall and a blonde woman entered.

She was carrying a clipboard and seemed to be scribbling furiously as she looked down at Richard. Her nametag dangled freely from the white lab coat she wore, displaying the name "Dr. Deane". She looked down at Richard and narrowed her eyes.

"Ah, so I see that you are awake. I'd be careful not to move too much as the Biomedical Scan can cause a few painful irritations after the initial ten hours. I'll let you gather yourself before we move you to the lower compounds for interrogation."

"Interrogations? What for? I haven't done anything wrong." Richard's voice was still gruff yet carried a fatigued quality from the examination.

"We need to know what happened in the mansion. We suspect that the canine subjects are carrying the virus out of the research complex. As you are one of the few uninfected witnesses, it is essential that we gather the information we need before any... unexpected events occur."

"What are you on about? We were told that the complex was for pharmaceutical testing so why would there be a virus?"

"Never mind. There are certain pieces of information that are too classified for you to know; this being one of them."

""Tell me; otherwise I'm not going to tell you about what I saw in there. You can't force me to speak."

"How naive," she smirked, "there remains a quality of innocence that you still carry, blissfully unaware that the work going on around you could potentially save the world. Save from the world from itself, that is. You could speak by choice, or you could be made to speak. Either way we don't mind."

At this she flashed a handgun that dangled from her waist. Behind her serene appearance apparently lay a fierce and competitive interior.

"But you need me; after all, you said that there are no other witnesses."

"Hmm, true," she mused, "but even you are dispensable. We could always calculate what has happened. After all, human behaviour is not as complex as it initially seems."

She grasped the gun and pulled it out before Richard had the opportunity to blink. Instinctively he moved away and placed his hand in front to block the unexpected attack.

"See. Science predicts that you would have behaved like that. You may think that your behaviours are random, uncontrollable and spontaneous when in fact; they are no more different than any other animal. Now get up."

Richard dared not argue and rose without further confrontation. He knew that if he bided his time, the gun would soon be in his command and it would be Dr. Deane who was taking the orders, not making them. She guided him out of the room and into a lengthy, stone-walled corridor, without even sparing a look at him. They descended down hundreds of steps and must have passed fifty doors. Richard had seen test tubes filled with animals that he didn't even recognise, but as they rounded yet another corner, he saw a sight that, until tonight, he would only have seen in a horror movie.

At the far end of the corridor stood one of those things from the mansion, just like Steve had been, as it jumped atop a researcher. The researcher looked senior, as his long, white cloak was splattered with blood from the impact. The beast was dressed just like any other researcher except his skin was a pale brown. The sight also seemed familiar to Dr. Deane as she casually pressed a small, red button at the entrance to the corridor. This triggered a release trip in the wall as a bulletproof plastic screen fell from the ceiling, separating Dr. Deane and Richard from the 'thing'.

"Hmm, now we'll need to find a new way round. That could decrease our available time by half an hour."

Richard remained silent. He was hoping that Dr. Deane would stay distracted for long enough so that he could take her gun and escape. Dr. Deane nodded in agreement with her thoughts and turned around.

"I think that we can take the emergency lock-down elevator..."

Dr. Deane stopped in mid-sentence. Richard turned and could see that standing a foot away from her was one of those beasts. Somehow it seemed like the beast was too subdued to attack her.

"Do not move. They respond, like primitive animals, to sudden movements and loud noises. Step away gently."

"How? You locked the door behind us. We're stuck between a sheet of plastic and those _things_."

"They're B. actually. Biological Organic Weapons that were designed and produced by Umbrella and I don't think that panicking is going to help us. The ones in the research labs are trained to respond to certain stimuli and heavy movements are one of them."

"Well, shoot it. I've seen what they can do and I don't like it."

"Shoot it! Those things can pay out in excess of $50,000 each and you want me to shoot it. I don't think so. I'd rather shoot you; at least these creations serve a purpose."

"Can you hear yourself? These things are killers, and you would rather die than prevent them from killing someone else."

"Yes I would. Now back away and let me alert some researchers that we have a breach of security."

At this, Dr. Deane raised her arm which was enough to set the 'creation' off. It lunged forward as Dr. Deane pushed away. The expression on her face changed instantly and the fear and desperation in her face was more than obvious.

"Help me. I don't want to be bitten. I've seen what happens to the people who are infected. Help."

"I thought that you didn't want these creations to be damaged. Do you want me to help or not?"

"Do what you have to do to them, just ensure that I get out safely."

The creature readied itself as Dr. Deane and Richard stepped backwards towards the plastic sheeting that protected them from another attack. With an unsteady pounce, the creature pushed Dr. Deane up against the plastic and bore its teeth, ready to bite her throat should she move.

"Take my gun and shoot it. Do it now."

Richard reached forward and unhooked the handgun from the doctor's waist. He knew that the creature would soon turn on him if it knew that he posed a larger threat. As Richard raised the gun to shoot the creature, its attention shifted from the doctor to Richard. The doctor's neck had an impression of where the creature had attempted to strangle her. As she gasped for air, Richard raised the gun and fired it squarely in the centre of its forehead.

The bullet shot from the chamber and fired its way through the creature's skull. As the creature fell to the floor, the blood from the impact slid down the corridor wall. With its jaw agape, it sat, staring into Richard's eyes, leaving Richard unsure on whether these creatures actually died.

"Thank you, Richard wasn't it? I was unsure on whether you would actually run or help me and apparently I underestimated you. Is there anything that I can do for you?"

"Well, I wouldn't mind it if you could help me to escape. I don't really fancy the whole interrogation scene. And I suppose that I wouldn't mind it if you could tell me your name."

"Lexie, Dr. Lexie."

Both grinned childishly as they looked into one another's eyes. Lexie leaned forward and stroked Richard's stubble.

"Maybe we should get moving. We don't know how many more of those things there are skulking around."

Lexie regretted that she didn't kiss Richard while they had the chance, but she knew that what he had said was true. There could be tens of those things lurking around. They had to reach the control centre and alert the other researchers. Especially Alyssa. She was one of two people in the whole complex that was granted with the access key to the emergency exit. Whether Richard liked it or not, they needed her.


End file.
